Bengaluru, April 25th, 2025: As per the Sample Registration System conducted as part of the Census, the fertility rate or the number of children per adult female Karnataka 1.6, far below the replacement rate. As part of National Infertility Week, there is a need to educate people on infertility issues, emotional support for couples facing fertility challenges and break the stigma that is associated with the condition. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 6 couples in the world have infertility issues, which is defined as the inability to conceive after a year of regular unprotected intercourse. This year, the theme #ALLinFertility speaks about seeking professional support with clinicians, psychologists, family, and workplace when battling infertility. Nova IVF Fertility, one of the largest fertility chains with international standards of protocols of fertility treatment has observed that at least 10% women go through severe depression when battling infertility issues. While at least 50-60% of women undergo moderate stress when going through infertility and fertility treatments.
Timely consultation with fertility specialists for couples struggling to conceive for more than a year is a crucial step. Some of the initial assessments include hormone level testing for women, including Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) which helps establish the ovarian reserve and ultrasounds can identify conditions like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS or PCOD) and uterine conditions. Similarly, men can undergo semen analysis to assess the sperm health, with approximately 30% of infertility cases rooting from male factor abnormalities which may be low sperm count or absence of sperm.
Some of the common factors contributing to infertility in both males and females include hormonal imbalances, exposure to environmental toxins, and lifestyle factors. “Approximately 30% can be attributed to male factors such as low sperm count or motility issues, while another 30% stem from female factors including ovulation disorders, age etc. 10% fall into what we classify as unexplained infertility and the remaining 30% can be both male and female combined. It is always recommended for couples facing fertility issues to seek consultations with a fertility specialist if the conception hasn’t occurred after 12 months of regular unprotected intercourse or after six months for women over 35.” say Dr. Apurva Satish Amarnath, Fertility Specialist at Nova IVF Fertility, Kalyan Nagar, Bengaluru.
Also, the psychological impact of infertility often goes unaddressed. Emotional impact can be harmful as well, with many couples facing low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, lack of intimacy issues, heightened stress and in some cases even suicide.
“Individuals tend to associate their self-esteem with their fertility. While infertility is a physical condition but due to the stigma and emotional pressure, we have observed our patients having mental health issues like Anxiety and Depression. They feel very lonely in their infertility journey, as there is pressure from families to conceive, society isolates them for not being able to conceive, at times the entire blame is being put on the women. It is always encouraged for couples facing infertility and miscarriage issue to seek emotional support through psychological counselling, as infertility not only affects an individual’s self-esteem but also leads to stress and strains relationships, says Diana Divya Crasta, Chief Psychological Counselor at Nova IVF Fertility.
Family support plays a major role in the fertility journey of a couple. Instead of adding pressure with questions about family planning, family members and relatives can provide understanding and respect for privacy. Creating a supportive and understanding environment helps couples overcome both medical and emotional aspects of infertility.
